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The push for permanent grass fields across the NFL is getting louder, and you can add New York Giants right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor to the list of players lobbying for grass at MetLife Stadium.
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The Giants tackle, who was born in England, lauded the grass field while attending the World Cup final on Sunday and offered his opinion that the Giants and Jets “should keep it” as their playing surface when the preseason starts next month.
MetLife Stadium has had FieldTurf as its playing surface for Giants and Jets home games since opening in 2010. It is one of 15 NFL stadiums that has turf, and one of seven United States-based World Cup venues that added grass to meet FIFA’s standard of natural grass for hosting matches at the 2026 event.
Jermaine Eluemunor Lobbied for Grass at MetLife Stadium
Eluemunor is from London and openly rooted for England at the 2026 World Cup. But he wasn’t going to turn down the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch Argentina-Spain in East Rutherford for the most important trophy in sports.
Still, while at the final, Eluemunor used the opportunity to join the #WorthTheCost debate that was perpetuated by other NFL players, such as Caleb Williams, George Kittle and Laremy Tunsil.
“This Grass is beautiful, they should keep it,” Eluemunor shared on X (formerly Twitter).
The Giants and Jets Should Go to Grass Full Time at MetLife Stadium
Giants fans of a certain age will undoubtedly remember the nightmarish field conditions when Giants Stadium went from AstroTurf to grass. They used a tray-style system for three seasons between 2000-02 before going back to Field Turf in 2003 and again for the new stadium.
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But the World Cup makes a compelling case study for grass at all NFL fields but especially MetLife Stadium. The home of the Giants just hosted eight World Cup games, or about the same number as one NFL team plays in the regular season over a month.
Despite that wear and tear, the grass looked perfect for the final Sunday.
Of course, there would be twice as many games at MetLife Stadium, since both the Giants and Jets play there. MetLife Stadium also hosts the high school state finals and will host Army-Navy this year, and fans in Pittsburgh know how awful the grass there gets from hosting too many games.
Plus, it is really hard to grow grass in Greater New York in the late fall and early winter, which is what beat writer Art Stapleton reminded fans of Sunday.
“I want natural grass in every NFL stadium for the safety of the players,” Stapleton posted on X (formerly Twitter). “But let’s not kid ourselves – everyone calling for natural grass in the moment will be screaming and yelling about the crap conditions of the field in colder weather cities – especially in East Rutherford.”
But Eluemunor had a retort.
“Turf vs Grass in December is no debate!” Eluemunor quote-tweeted Stapleton. “[It] doesn’t matter how cold it gets grass will always feel better. I’ve Played in Green Bay in early December and it still felt a million times better than turf anytime. Turf will never be the answer.”
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This story was originally published July 20, 2026 at 7:04 AM.